Rosie, The Family Cat

Rosie was staying at the veterinarian clinic that my daughter worked at as a part of her high school program. Joanna met this little Siamese kitty that was not happy to be at the vet clinic, and she heard that it wouldn’t be long, and that kitty would be gone.

She asked if we might be able to adopt this kitty. We were a very busy family, and I just couldn’t imagine having one more in our house. There was the husband and I and three teenagers. Graduation was fast approaching for the oldest.

Everyone was busy with school, sports and part-time to full-time jobs. Could we fit in a kitty? Joanna would come home each day reminding us all that this kitty’s clock was ticking, and her time was running out. I gave in, with conditions.

I wouldn’t be the one to feed her, clean her cat box, take her to the vet and overall care for her. “Oh no mom, I will care for her!” she said, and her brothers spoke up and said that they would help. Then reality happened and everyone was too busy or not around to care for the kitty.

And she was a kitty that really didn’t like anyone, except maybe people that were allergic to cats. Once she moved into our home, the place was hers. She would holler when it was time to eat. She let us know in a couple different ways if her cat box needed attention.

And she hated the vet clinic. Not just the one she came from but any vet clinic.

I started practicing reiki (healing touch) in 1994 and for that Christmas my husband bought me a reiki table. Rose was right on that and thought her job was to be the reiki practitioner. Whenever there was anyone on the table, she would jump up and not want to get down from there.

When I would make her get down or take her down, she would holler and sit under the table letting me know that the treatment was not going to be relaxing for me or anyone else. She was telling me that she was the one that knew how to give reiki.

When my daughter graduated from high school and moved into an apartment with a friend from high school, they couldn’t have pets. That was common back in those days. Joanna said, “mom, just until I get a place that allows cats.”

By this time, she was a family cat, very independent and after all, we only had one teen left at home and it wouldn’t be long until he moved out either. Then it was just the husband and I and Rosie when we moved from that home. Rose continued to act like she was the reiki practitioner.

One day, as I was in a reiki circle with my friend that was teaching me to be a reiki teacher, she said, “Dolly doesn’t like cats, and I thought we could send her reiki.” I thought okay, but what does that have to do with her not liking cats, but I didn’t say anything.

Rosie was always right there whenever there was anything to do with reiki going on. So, there we sat, sending distance reiki to Dolly, when suddenly, Rose hollered and jumped and ran from the room! Poor kitty, Dolly was a medicine woman and now I saw why Kay told me that Dolly didn’t like cats.

Afterwards, we both laughed and enjoyed the rest of our reiki circle without Rosie getting in the way. Rosie was my cat for 15 years. It’s funny how that happened. When it came to putting her to sleep, I asked my son if he could take her and he said, he couldn’t as he grew up with Rosie.

So, that was up to me too.

A few weeks after her death, I had a severe allergic reaction. When I went in for testing to find out what I was allergic to, the only thing that showed up was cats. I mentioned she seemed to like people that were allergic to cats.

She almost sat on my n ephew's head when he visited one time and he was allergic to cats. Most of the time when there were visitors, except those coming for reiki, she would leave the room and hide from visitors. She would climb on me when she wanted reiki.

Most pets, like children don’t need much reiki and that was how Rosie was too. She didn’t spend much time with me but others in the house would have to catch her to spend time with her. After Rosie died and I told Joanna how I was now allergic to cats.

She said, “Rosie probably cursed you for taking her to the vet to die. Now, no more kitties or cats for you.”

That’s right, unless someone talks me into a hairless cat. They are so ugly, I’m just about sure it won’t happen, even with our occasional field mouse problem! Not too long after Rosie died, I developed cancer. My thoughts for a minute went to, maybe she really was the Family Cat and The Reiki Practitioner!!